Training for 1/2 marathon ...BS everywhere!

[Lauren8443]

Hi,

I am currently training for a 1/2 marathon and have recently switched to Levemir. I 'think' I have sorted my doses out and am taking split doses of 9u at 9pm and 17u at 7am. Things seem to be going ok...until training.

Since running more my night time hypos have come back! Do I reduce my night time basal if I have been for a run and have a snack before bed?

I panic though as had 1/2 weetabix before bed last night and bloods spiked to 11 before bed... is this ok as long as they come down over night?? I thought the idea was for bloods to stay stable over night??

I also reduced my basal to 7 last night but ended up taking a panic correction bolus just before bed so had a hypo.... so my own fault there!

 

[trophywench]

Can't help specifically - but what/who did you consult about BG levels before embarking on this - eg The Diabetic Athlete's Handbook, the Runsweet website, the Using Insulin book - and your hospital team?

Some of the more energetic members will be along shortly I expect though!

Good luck with it.

 

[Northerner]

Hi,

I am currently training for a 1/2 marathon and have recently switched to Levemir. I 'think' I have sorted my doses out and am taking split doses of 9u at 9pm and 17u at 7am. Things seem to be going ok...until training.

Since running more my night time hypos have come back! Do I reduce my night time basal if I have been for a run and have a snack before bed?

I panic though as had 1/2 weetabix before bed last night and bloods spiked to 11 before bed... is this ok as long as they come down over night?? I thought the idea was for bloods to stay stable over night??

I also reduced my basal to 7 last night but ended up taking a panic correction bolus just before bed so had a hypo.... so my own fault there!

Hi Lauren, nice to hear from a fellow runner! Which half are you running? I'm doing the Southampton Half in April 🙂 I'm a bit different to you because I'm weird and don't need basal any more, but I remember when I used to use lantus I had to reduce it on a regular basis whilst I improved my pace and distance. Exercise can make you more insulin sensitive for up to 40 hours afterwards, but once you are running regularly you should find a good, settled dose for your levemir - the body learns to accept the 'new normal'. Levemir is much more responsive to dose adjustments than lantus, so I would reduce it for overnight, and possibly schedule in a few 3 am checks to see what is happening overnight. A snack is a good idea, but I would go for something much slower release than Weetabix - I gave up on Weetabix early on after diagnosis as I discovered it gave me a very swift spike! 😱 My personal choice was a slice of Burgen Soya and Linseed toast with peanut butter, which should release the energy much more slowly and not give you that spike 🙂 I've also found Belvita biscuits surpisingly slow-release, after being initially sceptical about their claims! What sort of levels are you waking to? How far are you running currently, and how often?

As TW suggests, I found the book Diabetic Athlete's Handbook really helpful as it explains the physical processes of how exercise affects your body when on insulin 🙂

 

[trophywench]

I guffawed when Alan asked 'which half are you running' since that usually means the first or last ... then realised he meant 'where' ? LOL

 

[Owen]

I have been reducing my insulin intake to point that I had to stop due to hypo's off next to nothing. Still off insulin just now but expect to revisit it in the future. @Matt Cycle posted some links for the cycle team.

 

[Lauren8443]

Hi Lauren, nice to hear from a fellow runner! Which half are you running? I'm doing the Southampton Half in April 🙂 I'm a bit different to you because I'm weird and don't need basal any more, but I remember when I used to use lantus I had to reduce it on a regular basis whilst I improved my pace and distance. Exercise can make you more insulin sensitive for up to 40 hours afterwards, but once you are running regularly you should find a good, settled dose for your levemir - the body learns to accept the 'new normal'. Levemir is much more responsive to dose adjustments than lantus, so I would reduce it for overnight, and possibly schedule in a few 3 am checks to see what is happening overnight. A snack is a good idea, but I would go for something much slower release than Weetabix - I gave up on Weetabix early on after diagnosis as I discovered it gave me a very swift spike! 😱 My personal choice was a slice of Burgen Soya and Linseed toast with peanut butter, which should release the energy much more slowly and not give you that spike 🙂 I've also found Belvita biscuits surpisingly slow-release, after being initially sceptical about their claims! What sort of levels are you waking to? How far are you running currently, and how often?

As TW suggests, I found the book Diabetic Athlete's Handbook really helpful as it explains the physical processes of how exercise affects your body when on insulin 🙂

I have found that with weetabix as well..... recently bought burgen bread due to your recommendation and belivta and it works well re: slow release! at the moment I am running 6-7.5 miles every other day (need to up it ASAP) doing Oulton Park, CHESHIRE race.

What do you do in terms of bloods before and during race??? What do you eat before and do you have to take anything whilst running. I would rather run high.... do you do this?

 

[SB2015]

After your exercise your muscles will be re stocking so you may need to reduce your Levemir at night to account for this, or some extra glucose before bed. As others have said weetabix is. Bowl of sugar in disguise so raises BG very quickly in most. You will need to find what works for you. My favourite is a garibaldi biscuit if needed.

During exercise you will need to work out what works for you. It could be some extra snack before you start with reduced insuniln, reduced basal insulin, combination of these. It is try it and see, which is why the training will be so helpful.

 

[Ginny03]

What time of day are you training? If it's evening, I find that my levels continue to drop for 2-3 hours after exercise (compared to 1 hour if I exercise earlier on in the day). Freestyle Libre has really helped me with understanding exactly what exercise does to my sugars - both during and after. If I went out 7-8pm, I'd likely need a snack rather than changing my basal, because my levels fall quickly but then stabilise - but everyone is different! Sadly, night testing is probably the only way forward to work out exactly what's happening.